The new TAP will hurt Portugal - with an increase burden to the taxpayers

Paulo Portas, President of the CDS-PP Party

Paulo Portas said the new situation in the TAP airline 

is "an invitation to discordance" 

The latest changes brought a "higher burden" 

for the state, accuses the leader of CDS.

The President of the CDS-PP, Paulo Portas, 

warned today that according to the contract modification with TAP 

promoted by the government, is "an invitation to discordance" 

and will involve a much "higher burden" for the country. 

"An agreement of a 50/50 share company, 

is an invitation for discord. 

If there are different strategies, there is a risk of deadlock. 

Why did the private investors accepted the government´s proposal? 

It seems obvious to me, that the state will provide much more money 

than earlier assumed," he said.

According to the centrist leader, who spoke in Evora, 

at a swearing-in ceremony of several municipal party leaders in the district, 

the problem is that the state "does not own any money," 

because the money comes from the taxpayers." 

Therefore, this amendment to the contract of TAP, 

promoted by the government, led by António Costa, 

means "superior responsibility" for the State and the portuguese taxpayers.

"Considering the debt level which any capital increase implies 

plus the necessary investments, 

the state opted for a significantly more expensive solution," he said. 

Therefore, he continued, " from the taxpayer's point of view, 

they will have to wait a while until the financial renegotiation become known," 

to know exactly "how much another ideological option 

of this government, will cost the taxpayer".

The previous Government PSD/CDS-PP, 

"had found a solution for its magnificent airline, 

which was a Portuguese-speaking group based in Brazil and a partner in Portugal, 

who had an interest of growth into Europe". 

"We could have avoided the options, which would have hurt Portugal for sure, 

yes, by transferring flights away from some Portuguese airports 

to transfer them to other Portuguese airports," he said.

With this modification to the contract, 

"the burden will be much higher, 

and when they begin to repeat all the cases of higher rates," 

which "all together make an impossible account if the accounts are not closed,

 it will become very problematic for the country," 

warned the president of the CDS-PP. 

The government of António Costa will pay 1.9 million euros, 

for the state to get 50% share of TAP (instead of 34%)

 as a result of negotiations with the Gateway consortium, 

which had 61% of the company's capital and now owns only 45% ~

and may reach 50%, 

with the acquisition of 5% of the capital 

available to TAP workers.